MY Masochistic CEO

"Of course you know who you're dealing with here!" I said arrogantly.

She rolled her eyes at me. "You're quite something."

I chuckled. "Soon, our place will be a member unit of the Sevan City Dance Association. Besides Ms. Hill, we should be able to invite other dance masters. I'll donate some money, and we can even hang a plaque as a cooperative unit of the Sevan City Art Academy. This way, we won't have to worry about student enrollment."

Lucy said, "Not just student enrollment. I'm afraid our place is too small! If I knew you were this capable, I'd have suggested renting a bigger place ages ago."

"No rush for that. Once we're stable, we can consider opening a branch," I suggested.

"That sounds great." Lucy replied with a smile. "I used to worry, but now I'm not worried at all."

"Just now, someone said I was just an absentee boss," I teased.

"Can't I admit when I'm wrong?" Lucy retorted.

"Wow, just like that? Do you know how much that hurt me?" I exaggerated, clutching my chest. "I feel like my heart is breaking!"

She asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you think?"

Her face turned red, and then she quickly kissed me on one cheek. "Is that enough?"

"Almost," I replied.

Then she kissed me on the other cheek. "How about now?"

"Alright, let's go," I said.

"Where to?" she inquired.

"To your place! To see your brother and mother!" I suggested.

"But I still need to..." she began.

"It's fine with Ms. Carter here." I dragged her away without waiting for her response. When I opened the passenger door of the Bentley, Lucy looked a bit skeptical. "I thought you drove a Mercedes. Is it yours, or your friend's?"

"It's mine."

I smiled. "But it was a gift from a friend!"

"What kind of friend is so generous to give away a million-dollar car?"

I didn't explain but just showed her the registration certificate with my name on it. At that moment, she became a bit reserved.

"So that's how it is," she said with a smile, but her smile seemed a bit forced.

"What's wrong?" I held her hand. "Are you thinking of something unpleasant again?"

"No, just a bit awkward," she admitted. "I always feel like I'm being kept by you!"

"What do you mean by 'being kept'? That sounds harsh. We are partners, remember?" I said, somewhat displeased.

She looked at me. "William Maine, the first time I saw you, I knew you might be wealthy, but I could sense that your wealth didn't reach the level I admire. So when you invited me to start a dance training class, I agreed."

She continued. "The last time you came, I felt you were different again. You exuded confidence and aura, completely different from before. I recognized that as the demeanor of someone in power, full of confidence in every move. But I still thought you were just rich! Until this time, you are completely different. You are dressed in Armani worth tens of thousands, wearing a Rolex worth hundreds of thousands, driving a luxury car worth millions, even persuading Ms. Hill. Even the previous me might not have been able to do."

Her eyes were filled with complexity. "You are truly a mysterious man. Every time I see you, I feel a gap between us. Just now, I suddenly realized that now I need to look up to you."

I scratched my head. "Is it that serious? I'm still the same me as before. Nothing has changed."

"For you, maybe not. But for me, the current you brings more pressure to me. I'm scared. I even feel like I've become a canary you're keeping," she confessed, her eyes reflecting confusion and panic.

Looking at her confused and flustered expression, I suddenly understood something.

The truth was, I had changed, despite my own denial.

There's a saying that when you are at the same level as someone else, they will treat you as a friend.

When you surpass them, they might still treat you as a friend but unconsciously use honorifics in their speech.

When you reach a level that others need to look up to, being friends with you might make them feel uneasy and surreal.

I was speechless. "How did I end up needing her admiration?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder, looking at her seriously. "Lucy, from the beginning until now, I never thought of you as a canary. I won't deny that I have some intentions toward you, but it stems from my obsession with college. You may not know, but when I saw you at the Dynasty, I was so surprised and excited. I thought I would never have any intersection with you in my life. I felt meeting you was fate."

"You didn't look down on me?" Lucy asked.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone has their low points. I was lucky to have met a benefactor who helped me. That's why I am here today."

I continued, "When I invited you to join me, I did have the thought of helping you, but more importantly, it was for myself. I may have some capital now, but who knows, the me today might not be the you of the future. Don't forget, you are my major shareholder. I give you money not as a form of keeping you, nor as a charity. It's an investment, or to put it bluntly, it's a way for me to win you over, to gain not just your assets but your heart!"

As I finished speaking, Lucy lowered her head, her face suddenly blushing. "Do I really deserve it now?"

I said, "Don't you know in your heart? So, do I now have the right to pursue you?"

Lucy didn't dare to look at me. "After all that, what do you think?"

I was overjoyed in my heart, and I naturally understood what she meant by 'that.' "Great. From now on, I declare you as my girlfriend."

"What do you mean, your girlfriend? When did I agree to that?" Lucy raised her head, a bit annoyed, but more of it was shyness.

I replied, "It's just a matter of time. Sooner or later, we would have ended up here anyway. Isn't it better to take a direct approach?"

"If you're so eager for convenience, why not just take me to get married directly?" she asked.

"Alright. If you dare, we'll get married."

I thought she was joking, but to my surprise, she said, "Fine. Let's get married. If I'm like this, and you don't leave, I probably won't find a better man than you in the future. You treat me well. I can't repay you, so we might as well be together for life."

She was a bit hesitant, but her eyes were unusually firm, and I was dumbfounded.

She provocatively looked at me. "Do you dare?"

What should I do?

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"There's nothing I don't dare."

I snorted. "But marriage is not a joke. You haven't even met my parents. If I get married without a word, my dad will probably break my legs!"

"Then let's go meet them. If you dare to take me to meet your parents, I dare to go. Sooner or later, we have to meet them, so we might as well do it sooner."

Impressive, she's imitating my way of speaking, leaving me speechless.

But with things having gone this far, if I chicken out now, will I have any face left?

"Fine, you asked for it. Tomorrow is my brother's celebration feast, and I happen to be going home. If you have the guts, come home with me. By then, all my relatives will be there!"

"Perfect. Let's meet all your family members in one go!"

I was speechless at her boldness.

Seeing me silent, she said, "What's wrong? Getting cold feet? Or do you think I'm not good enough?"

I thought, 'With a beauty like her, if she's not good enough, then who is?'

"Fine, then you'll come with me tomorrow!"

After saying that, we fell into a strange silence.

I was nervous yet also excited. Lucy's face was so blushing, and even though the air conditioning was on low, she felt hot.

Seeing her like this, I felt a stirring in my heart. "Are we moving too fast? We skipped the steps of dating and went straight from girlfriend to fiancée?!"

She said, "Others fall in love before marriage. We marry before love. It's the same, just a different order of steps!"

'Same thing? The gap here is huge!' I thought.

"Aren't you afraid our foundation is not solid?" She glanced at me and said, "I'm confident I can keep you in check. If you really want to keep a woman, fine, but just make sure you come home when it's dark."

"Come on, you're making me sound like a scumbag."

She said, "Men turn bad when they have money. I've seen a lot of that, even if it's my dad..."

I touched my nose. "You're talking as if I've already done something."

"Go back." Lucy said, "I need to tell my mom."

Suddenly, I felt a bit guilty. 'Am I inexplicably gaining a mother-in-law now?' I thought.

"Are you really okay skipping those steps?" I asked.

Lucy said, "Anyway, the result is the same. Some people live together for years and still break up, and some people get married after the first meeting and stay together for life. The process is not important; the result is!"

I was in a dilemma. Marriage was impossible, and even if I would get married, it would definitely be with Kristina.